Hwamyeong-dong eel restaurant in Busan for a birthday meal

To celebrate my birthday and properly kick off my husband's first hitsumabushi experience, we went to Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong, a famous eel rice bowl spot in Busan~ Shunsaikubo has held a Blue Ribbon for 8 years straight and a Michelin mention for 3 years straight!! Honestly the best eel rice bowl I've had in Busan — and my husband, eating it for the first time, was totally satisfied too☀️

Where is Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong, and what are its hours?

Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong is a Nagoya-style eel rice bowl restaurant on the 1st floor of Geumsaem Building, 17 Yangdal-ro 4beon-gil, Buk-gu, Busan. It's open 11:30–21:00, with a break time of 15:00–17:30, and last orders at 14:20 and 20:20.

• 📍Location: 1F Geumsaem Building, 17 Yangdal-ro 4beon-gil, Buk-gu, Busan
• ⏰Hours: 11:30–21:00 / Break time 15:00–17:30 / Last order 14:20, 20:20
• 🅿️Free parking available: use the building lot or Hwamyeong public parking lot
• 🎁Takeout and delivery available

Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong is an amazing Busan spot that's held a Blue Ribbon for 8 straight years and Michelin recognition for 3 straight years!!! After visiting this time, I'm sure they'll keep getting picked.

It's authentic Nagoya-style eel rice bowl, even featured on TV!! They apparently use top-grade Japonica freshwater eel, brush it with eel tare sauce, and grill it over top-grade bincho-tan charcoal haha.

Parking at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong

You can get parking support if you use the Hwamyeong public parking lot! Roadside parking looked possible too, but the alleys nearby are narrow, so the public lot seems easier~

How long is the wait, and what do you get for waiting?

There can be a wait even on weekday lunches, so using Catch Table is a good idea haha. Reservations are also possible, so I'd recommend booking!

There are seats both inside and outside the entrance for waiting.

If your wait hits 45 minutes or more, they give you half a grilled eel as a service item!! Honestly I kind of want to wait just to get that half eel lol.

Inside Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong: atmosphere and seating

The atmosphere at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong is quiet, calm, and neatly arranged, making it great for celebrating a special occasion or gathering with people~ I skipped right in since it was my birthday 🚶🏻‍♀️🚶🏻‍♀️

There's also a separated, room-like space!

Baby chairs are ready too,

and they even thought to provide coat hangers~ Just imagining wearing a thick coat on a cold winter day and eating Shunsaikubo's hitsumabushi already feels warm lol.

Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong menu and prices

Besides the signature freshwater eel rice bowl, there were plenty of other menu items I was curious about~

They also carry a solid alcohol menu, by the way!

On the table, water and sauces were already set out.

The water is barley tea~ My husband says any place that serves barley tea is definitely a good restaurant lol.

Reading through the instructions for how to eat it deliciously while waiting for the food is a great way to pass the time haha.

What we ordered: the one-whole-eel hitsumabushi set

What we ordered at Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong this time was one full hitsumabushi. It comes as a whole set with a pre-meal salad, tempura, doenjang soup, steamed egg, assorted side dishes, and ochazuke dashi.

The pre-meal salad let you enjoy the vegetables' natural flavor without heavy dressing!

Tempura comes out too~~ what a great lineup.

The oil was so clean I couldn't even tell how much they'd used lol. The accompanying salt had a curry flavor too, which made it even tastier!!

Next up, the soup~

I got to eat birthday seaweed soup here too haha. The doenjang soup was clean yet deep-flavored — perfect.

Yay, the full hitsumabushi arrived! Honestly, if you can, I'd recommend getting the whole one~ it's that good~

The rice paddle is so cute I want one🐟 Someone please tell me where to get it.

There are various side dishes and ingredients to mix into the rice bowl,

and even ochazuke dashi to pour over the rice~

The steamed egg with seaweed and mushrooms was a bigger delicacy than I expected!! Nothing was lacking at Shunsaikubo~

Ta-da!!! The full hitsumabushi is the best!!!

Looking at it again, my mouth is watering..🩵

Just look at the color of that eel rice bowl, it's ridiculous.

The cute steamed egg was delicious even eaten plain — they really know how to make eggs. Now let's follow the tasting instructions exactly.

How to eat hitsumabushi in four stages

Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong's hitsumabushi is eaten in this order: original → with rolled egg → mixed with scallion, perilla leaf, seaweed flakes and wasabi → ochazuke. For the last quarter, you finish with whichever method you liked best.

First up, original!!

The moment I took the first bite, I understood exactly why it's a Blue Ribbon and Michelin spot!!! It's genuinely so delicious… the eel is really moist and tender with a golden, crisp exterior, and the slightly sweet sauce pairs perfectly with the rice.

Next, with the rolled egg~ The eel rice bowl is already savory, but adding the rolled egg doubles the softness and mildness…

Next, mixed with scallion, perilla leaf, seaweed flakes and wasabi~ Adding the wasabi definitely made it feel fresher and lighter haha.

Eating it as ochazuke, you just pick up the bowl and slurp it right down; since the original is so good, whatever they do with it just ends up delicious..

For the last quarter, you just finish it off with whichever method you liked best haha. I'm a basics person at heart, so eating the eel rice bowl plain, as-is, was the most delicious to me🩷

I made sure to finish even the tail properly^^

I don't think a bowl could be cleared any more thoroughly than this~ Such a delicious, filling meal😊

Homemade matcha pudding for dessert, plus gift certificates

After finishing everything, dessert came — a homemade matcha pudding!!!

Maybe because it's handmade, it wasn't too sweet, tasted clean, and had a nice milky flavor haha.

I cleaned up the dessert too;; lol.

Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong also sells gift certificates, so it'd make a nice present too haha.

After the meal, they also give you a mouth-refreshing candy.

They're probably going to keep getting Michelin recognition forever haha. If you're looking for a truly essential eel rice bowl spot in Busan, definitely try Shunsaikubo Hwamyeong's hitsumabushi🩷